By P. Vangerline Kpotoe
MONROVIA, May 22 (LINA) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has intensified its nationwide demolition campaign by targeting illegal developments in the Monrovia vicinities of Johnsonville and Jacob Town, following widespread environmental violations.
The agency, backed by Executive Order 143 and working alongside the Ministry of Public Works, Liberia Land Authority, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Monrovia City Corporation, Paynesville City Corporation, and other government institutions, resumed its coordinated operation on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. This action builds on a major demolition exercise earlier carried out on April 16, 2025, along SKD Boulevard and Police Academy Road, in Monrovia.
At the heart of the enforcement is a controversial site in Johnsonville, where Chinese developers reportedly defied a halt order issued by the EPA and continued backfilling activities under the cover of night. The area is located downstream of multiple schools, including the Multee International School System, which has experienced increased flooding during the rainy season as a result.
“These developers have violated the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia,” said an EPA official at the site, adding, “the backfilling has altered the landscape and worsened the environmental risks. Our message is clear: violations of this nature will not go unchecked.”
The EPA confirmed that Ruixu Commercial Concrete, the company behind the backfilling project, had not received the necessary environmental permits. As such, all structures erected on the site are being demolished.
The agency also addressed common misconceptions about land ownership and construction rights. “Owning land does not give anyone the right to disrupt wetlands,” the official emphasized. “Environmental permits are mandatory for any kind of development—whether on dry land or wetlands,” he said.
Section 75 of the Environmental Protection Law explicitly prohibits draining, backfilling, or construction in wetlands without EPA authorization. The agency reiterated that environmental permits are required not only for developers, but also for truck drivers involved in transporting and dumping soil or dirt.
“To move red dirt, truckers must obtain two EPA permits—one for the excavation site and another for the dumping site,” the EPA clarified. “We urge the Truck Drivers Union and the Ministry of Transport to help enforce this critical regulation.”
